By J. Patrick Coolican | Editor-in-chief
Good morning, Reformers.
A U.S. Senate vote Thursday opens up mining near one of Minnesota’s most iconic places, the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, at the behest of a Chilean mining conglomerate and Washington influence peddlers.
Minnesota Republicans are celebrating the end of the moratorium, which seems on its face like a weird flex.
Here was Minnesota House Speaker and GOP candidate for governor Lisa Demuth castigating presumptive Democratic nominee Amy Klobuchar for voting against it: “Klobuchar has turned her back on Northern Minnesota mining communities.” A parade of Republicans joined her.
It’s curious because there’s been a lot of polling on this issue over the years, and Minnesotans overwhelmingly favor protecting the region from sulfide mining’s significant environmental risk. It was a 60-40 issue as of 2020, according to the Star Tribune poll, and there’s no reason to think that’s changed. (After all, if Klobuchar is on the side of the BWCA, you know it’s a 60-40 issue lol.)
U.S. Rep. Erik Paulsen, the last Republican to represent the west metro, was depicted in his 2018 TV ad paddling the Boundary Waters and touted his defense of the region in the face of President Trump’s extraction fantasies.
Even if you favor mining near the Boundary Waters, why spend a day broadcasting that fact in the face of hostile public opinion?
A couple things could be happening:
-They’re bad at politics.
-When parties win big in an election, as Republicans did in 2024, they delude themselves into thinking they’re immune from the realities of public opinion.
-Demuth and other Republicans are primarily concerned at the moment with their right flank, which shows you how polarized our politics have become. They represent ruby red districts — and, in Demuth’s case, are campaigning for MAGA delegates at the GOP state convention — and can’t be seen as squishy on any issue, no matter how sacred to so many normal Minnesotans.
There’s reason to be hopeful: Antofagasta has a long road filled with major obstacles before they can begin mining, including litigation and a lengthy federal and state permitting process. A governor and Legislature elected that’s committed to protecting the Boundary Waters can be an important bulwark.
Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty announces felony assault charges against an ICE agent who allegedly pointed his service weapon at two people during a highway confrontation during a news conference on April 16, 2026. Moriarty said she believes the case is the first of its kind in the country. (Photo by Max Nesterak/Minnesota Reformer)
By Max Nesterak
Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty on Thursday filed criminal charges against an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer for allegedly brandishing his service weapon at two people during Operation Metro Surge in what she said was a first-of-its-kind case in the country.
Gregory Donnell Morgan, Jr. faces two felony counts of second-degree assault with a dangerous weapon for allegedly pointing a gun at two unnamed victims in a car while he was driving an unmarked SUV on Highway 62 near the interchange with I-35W in Minneapolis in February. Details provided by prosecutors suggest it had the makings of a road rage incident.
Morgan, who is a Maryland resident according to the complaint, is not in custody and there is an active warrant for his arrest.
By Madison McVan
The Federal Aviation Administration this week walked back a rule barring drone flights within 3,000 feet of Department of Homeland Security buildings and vehicles. The government’s retreat comes a month after a Minnesota photojournalist sued the aviation agency with help from the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press.
The FAA replaced its “temporary flight restriction” — which carried the possibility of civil and criminal penalties for violators — with an advisory of a similar nature, but with lower stakes.
By Alex Brown
Congress’ move to allow mining in a national forest near a wilderness area may have broad ramifications across the country.
By using an obscure tool known as the Congressional Review Act to open the national forest for mining, lawmakers have called into question the validity of every management plan issued by the U.S. Forest Service over the past several decades. That could result in legal chaos for thousands of permits covering logging, grazing, mining and outdoor recreation.
Over the past year, Congress for the first time has used the Congressional Review Act to revoke management plans for regions managed by the Bureau of Land Management, seeking to allow more mining and drilling. Such plans had not previously been considered “rules” subject to lawmakers’ review.
By Jennifer Schultz
Health economist and former legislator Jennifer Schultz warns that AI-driven unemployment would have a big impact on the financing of Social Security and Medicare:
Social Security and Medicare are funded, in part, from payroll taxes. Specifically, the Federal Insurance Contributions Act, or FICA tax, which is a 15.3% payroll tax split equally between employees and employers. The FICA tax consists of 12.4% for Social Security (capped at $184,500 in 2026) and 2.9% for Medicare, with an additional 0.9% Medicare tax for high earners.
Social Security and Medicare operate primarily on a pay-as-you-go basis, where payroll taxes from current workers pay for the benefits of today’s retirees. This mandatory system already faces strain from an aging population and declining worker-to-retiree ratios.
AI could literally break America’s financing of retirement and health care that we’ve had since 1935 (and since 1965 for Medicare).
IN OTHER NEWS
Trump says he’s going after Medicaid fraud, but is mostly focusing on blue states | Reformer, via States Newsroom
US House narrowly defeats resolution limiting Trump war powers | Reformer via States Newsroom
Your 420 guide | Star Tribune Nuggets
OH BY THE WAY
The Reformer was pleased to be a sponsor of a ThreeSixty Journalism event last night. The organization, based at University of St. Thomas, mentors high school students interested in journalism and creates a pipeline of young people from diverse racial and socio-economic communities.
Kudos to the Reformer’s Madison McVan, who has been volunteering with ThreeSixty Journalism since she started with us. Learn more here.
Song of the day is about weather, by the Eurythmics.
Have a great weekend all! JPC
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